Inside the Game: Dodge City 26, Southeast 3

A lot of people are wondering what happened to Southeast in this game. They were supposed to be filled with enough talent to take the City League this year. And to be honest, they probably do. But talent alone doesn’t get you very far when you play a hard-working team like Dodge City.

Southeast looked good for exactly 7 minutes of the game. The first 7 minutes of the game. They forced a three-and-out on Dodge’s first possession of the game, then marched down the field picking up four first downs (converting on two third downs and a fourth down). But then the offense stalled. Randle was stuffed for no gain. Southeast had to throw and the next two plays netted no yards.

Really, that was what happened to Southeast the rest of the game. Dodge City forced them out of their comfort zone. Southeast is at its best running the ball with Randle, not throwing out of the spread. On the next three drives that stalled, each drive had either a penalty or a negative play to lengthen the first down out of reach of the running game. That made Southeast have to open up and try to throw. What happened next wasn’t pretty: 3 drives, 10 plays, -3 yards.

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Meanwhile, Dodge City looked legit. Jace Banner broke out tonight. He is a transfer from the KC metro area. He finished with 107 yards, but at one point he had 13 rushes for 120 yards. He is going to be a stud for the Demons. Also, K-State recruit Laton Dowling is a complete stud. He was in on about every play. Dodge’s defense is very good with Dowling and Campbell and Banner as well. They should be much improved this season.

So what does this mean for Southeast?

Well, frankly it doesn’t affect the outlook of the season at all or the Buffs. With this being an out-of-league game, Southeast hasn’t lost any ground in the City League race. This is just not the start they wanted, but it’s an opportunity to be able to wash this game away and start anew next week. Southeast has a chance to become a good football team. Friday night they were not. But time is on their side.

So what does this mean for Dodge City?

This is a statement game for the Demons. A dominating win like this sets the tone for the season. The surprise emergence of Banner at running back could be the missing factor for DC. It has a solid passing game in the Thomas-to-Head connection and with Banner, Dodge has a potent offense. They also flexed their muscles on defense to show they have a well-rounded team. Another dominating win over East next week could set up a nice season for Dodge.

Here is the stat sheet that I keep. Just some more stats for you guys:

DODGE CITY1st2ndTotal

First Downs8412

Fumbles000

3rd Downs4-50-24-7

Time Of Possession11:0912:0523:14

Penalties336

Yards303060

1st2ndTotal

Rushes161733

Rushing Yards7792169

Passes10313

Passing Yards10813121

Total Plays262046

Total Yards185105290

SOUTHEAST1st2ndTotal

First Downs5611

Fumbles022

3rd Downs3-70-43-11

Time Of Possession12:5111:5724:46

Penalties4610

Yards354075

1st2ndTotal

Rushes181735

Rushing Yards5870128

Passes7512

Passing Yards132942

Total Plays252247

Total Yards7199170

Here’s the drive sheet I took too:

DODGE CITY

STARTQTRYDLPLYSYDSRESULT

12:00127D37PUNT

2:27129S734TOUCHDOWN

9:11235S235TOUCHDOWN

5:59230S870TOUCHDOWN

1:38242S434BLOCKED FIELD GOAL

10:45335S135TOUCHDOWN

6:56320D414PUNT

1:31326D727PUNT

7:20446S626LOST FUMBLE

1:26420D35END OF GAME

SOUTHEAST

STARTQTRYDLPLYSYDSRESULT

10:16126S1559FIELD GOAL

11:20231S3-3PUNT

8:47247D60PUNT

1:43233S10INTERCEPTION

12:00321S314LOST FUMBLE

10:24334S520PUNT

4:11338S412PUNT

9:15413S47PUNT

3:58439S745INTERCEPTION

Hope you enjoy. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Leave a comment on here or get at me on my e-mail at teldridge24@yahoo.com or follow me on twitter here for in-game updates during the season.